28 November 1897 Letter Written by Union Parish Clerk of Court James Monroe Smith to Eva Slaton Submitted by: Dr. Robert S. Hendrick Date of Submission: 12/2008 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ ================================================================================== ================================================================================== 28 November 1897 Letter from James M. Smith, Sr. to Eva Slaton Materials from the Personal Collection of Dr. Robert S. Hendrick, Jr. Transcribed and submitted by Robert S. Hendrick, Jr. Smith became the Union Parish Clerk of Court in 1879 and served until 1900, when he resigned to serve as a Louisiana State Senator. Smith had courted Slaton prior to his marriage to May Olive Kidd in 1885, but May had died in February 1895. Smith and Slaton married in January 1898. ================================================================================== ================================================================================== James M. Smith Sr. to Eva Slaton (Addressed to Miss Eva M. Slaton) ================================================================================== ================================================================================== Jas. M. Smith, Clerk Edward Everett, Deputy Clerk’s Office Parish of Union Farmerville, LA November 28, 1897 My Own Sweet Little girl, Your sweet little letter came Tuesday evening as expected and when I opened my letter box and found the precious messenger from my little angel, I was happy & satisfied & didn’t need any more mail- it was enough for one time. I am now in my room sitting by a good fire and wishing that I had by my side the dearest, sweetest, loveliest and best little girl on earth. Darling you don’t know just how fondly I love you. You are all the world to me. My fondest hopes & best ambitions- my happiness & my all hang upon the true love and devotion of my angel girl. Darling I had rather be the object of your love & the dearest man on earth to you, than of any other woman living. How I look forward to our happy union in a few weeks- when I will have my sweet little doll with me all the time to love & be loved by her- to bless, brighten & make happy our home. Darling I don’t believe any couple will be happier than me. Do you think so? Well I reckon you have ordered your “wedding garment”- your dress. Write me a description of it. Dearest if it still suits you will let Jan. 6th remain the day fixed for our marriage. Don’t think I can hardly be ready sooner. Besides in all probability the weather will be better then than during Christmas holidays- the weather is usually very disagreeable about Christmas time. Yes darling I know it would have been indeed most enjoyable to me to have been with my charming little girl and entertained by her on Thanksgiving Day, as well as joined her in that delightful drive. We had service at the Methodist church at 11 A. M. that day & at the Baptist church that night, both were very entertaining. It is a little funny and a singular coincidence that you & two cousins are going to marry about the same time, you must have had an understanding when one married all married, didn’t you? Darling aren’t you glad they are in another state so you won’t have to compare sweethearts with them? It make you feel badly to have to do so & get left. But as they can’t see yours of course you can make him appear an awful nice & fine fellow on paper & they won’t know the difference. I would have liked to have seen that letter you wrote & the answer. I know they were good ones. Yes there is a great deal of marrying going on now regardless of crop failures, low prices & will probably continue Dec., Jan. & Feb. I reckon of course you told Miss Clara about our affair. Darling don’t you reckon she is happier than you over the coming important event & loves her boy better? I guess she will try form life for a season after her marriage. If she waits until after January 6th she will know Miss Slaton as Mrs. Smith & find her at her knew home with her boy- don’t you think? Yes in answer to Mr. Knowles telegram for my permission to go with my best girl of course I couldn’t refuse him that courtesy & told him he might go this time, but couldn’t make a practice of it. Yes Uncle Gus (Manning) delivered your message. That was a very good joke about the gate being tied, but so soon as a tried to open it & it wouldn’t I at once suspected that it was a job the boys intended for Jessie’s (Manning?- Gus’s daughter) callers & I then examined & found two wires tied around it- one at the top & another at the bottom & had no trouble in untying & going ahead. If I hadn’t succeeded very readily I would have just jumped the fence & gone on. So you see that’s the fruits of you trying to make the boys believe it was Jessie instead of yourself that had a caller that evening & came near causing your boy to have to jump the fence. That would have been a fine joke on you to give out in town next that your sweetheart had to jump the fence when he left? Wouldn’t it? Darling it would be nice & a joke on our friends in Ruston if we could marry before they knew it, but you’ll find that they’ll get the date down pretty fine several weeks beforehand. I will probably visit you about middle of next month either going or on my way from Shreveport; will write you more about it later. Are you still improving & gotten so you can sleep well yet? Write me. Now darling you must take good care of your boy’s sweet little doll & write me a long, sweet letter by next Friday’s mail or sooner if you wish. I wrote with lead pencil because more convenient. With a heart full of love & many, Yours Devotedly, James ############################################################# File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/union/history/letters/smith/1897-11-28.txt